Call for speed cameras after out of control car hits wall

Calls for speeding restrictions to be put in after a speeding car crashed into wall on Boothroyd Lane. His house is near to two schools and Crow Next Park but people regularly exceed 80mph. Picture shows Fayyaz Patel (front L) with his father, Yusuf. d302a331

Frustrated residents are calling for speed cameras to be installed on their street.

A £3,000 garden wall on Boothroyd Lane was destroyed on Sunday evening after a driver lost control of his vehicle and ploughed into it.

It was the last straw for the Patel family, who have now started a petition to get speed restrictions and cameras on the 30mph stretch, near Crow Nest Park.

Fayyaz Patel, 20, said: “This is the second time a car has smashed into our wall, which has only just been rebuilt.

“We were just about to leave the house when it happened - two minutes later we’d have been seriously hurt.

“We’re close to two schools and the park, but drivers come speeding down all the time.”

The family have drafted in the help of Coun Mumtaz Hussain (Lab, Dewsbury West) who had already helped to secure funding from the council’s area committee for a speed indictor device (SID), which registers and flashes the speed at which a car is travelling to remind them how fast them are going.

He said he will take the petition to the next full council meeting.

Coun Hussain said: “The speed indictor should be in use in six weeks, and I’ll speak to residents about where exactly they think it should be placed. If you don’t know the roads - and the sharp bends - it’s so easy to lose control.

“There are a lot of concerned people in the area. I’d like to see humps installed.”

A Kirklees Council spokesman said the SID would be used in four locations over the next year, including Boothroyd Lane and Birkdale Road.

However, the council has no plans to introduce camera or speed bumps.

The spokesman added: “In situations like this where there is excessive speed, late at night, that causes damage to property, we require the police to provide targeted enforcement and remove dangerous drivers off the road.

“We are also working with the local school to reduce congestion at drop off and collection times by encouraging alternative modes of transport. This will help lessen the impact of traffic on the local residents.”

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said the driver in Sunday’s incident had been reported for summons to court for driving without due care and attention.